"Doffy, are you sure this isn't some prank cooked up by the Straw Hat Pirates and that bastard Morgans?!"
"Three Emperors joining forces, defeating the Five Elders of the World Government, and even killing one of them on Cake Island…"
"No matter how you look at it, this news just doesn't feel real, does it?!"
"I wish it were fake…"
In the Kingdom of Dressrosa, Doflamingo—who seemed to have turned almost transparent—felt cold sweat bead across his forehead.
He had thought that the Straw Hat Pirates daring to propose the execution of the Celestial Dragons was already madness incarnate.
Yet he had never imagined that, among everything the Straw Hat Pirates had done…
That would turn out to be the least outrageous act of all.
Countless thoughts flashed through Doflamingo's mind, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't grasp a single thread of logic in this chaotic era.
The world had already begun to evolve into a form completely beyond his expectations.
And what was even more terrifying was…
Doflamingo could never have imagined that the opening act of this brand-new era would require his blood as the sacrifice.
…
…
Time slowly passed amid the lingering shock that the world's people could not shake off.
What the Straw Hat Pirates had accomplished was no longer something that could be easily ignored.
And yet, just as everyone expected…
The Straw Hat Pirates once again upheld their long-standing tradition—after completing an earth-shattering feat, they vanished as if turning completely invisible.
In the major newspapers, there were no longer any reports related to them.
Of course, that was only "vanishing" in the eyes of ordinary civilians.
In reality, within just one month after the great incident, the entire underworld underwent earth-shaking changes.
With Stussy serving as their intelligence backbone, the members of the Straw Hat Pirates secretly visited the lairs of the major underworld kings.
Some were pacified.
Others were purged.
Under the trembling gaze of the entire underworld, in just a single month, the Straw Hat Pirates completed the integration of the major companies and forces operating in the shadows.
Nami took over the loan company of the King of Loan Sharks. After a thorough cleanup, she successfully transferred all of the company's original projects under the Straw Hat Pirates' name.
Although the interest rates remained unchanged—and by any standard still firmly fell within the category of "usury"—
The truth was, anyone who sought out loan sharks through the underworld was hardly an upright citizen to begin with.
That said, Nami wasn't completely devoid of mercy toward those who genuinely needed help.
She established a dedicated research team within the company.
If a borrower truly required the money, they could sign a contract of indentured service, working for the loan company or other Straw Hat–affiliated departments to reduce interest rates and repay their debts through labor.
They weren't a charity, after all. Leaving such a backdoor was already Nami's version of great compassion.
On the other side…
Usopp successfully replaced the former "concealer" and became the shadow boss of the storage company.
In this world, there was probably no one more suited to this position than him.
Especially when paired with the maritime shipping company under Franky's control…
The two formed a powerful alliance, quickly establishing an unshakable foothold in the underworld.
As for the assassin organization known as the Grand Funeral Society, where Drug Peclo belonged, Red had no intention of abandoning it.
After some careful selection, he merged it entirely into the Akatsuki, ensuring every resource was put to optimal use.
Thus, in places unseen by ordinary people, the underworld was undergoing massive transformation.
…
…
"Cheers!!!"
Clink!
Wine glasses filled with brilliant red liquid collided in midair.
The wine swayed gently, dazzling beneath the bright lights.
Inside the grand and magnificent hall, laughter and toasts filled the air.
At the main table, the Straw Hat crew raised their glasses high, radiant smiles on their faces.
Thanks to the World Government's unusual silence over the past period, the Straw Hat Pirates had firmly established themselves in the New World.
And this day marked their first major gathering since defeating the World Government's forces.
The sweet wine slid down Red's throat and quickly settled in his stomach.
After finishing the glass, Red slowly lifted his head and looked down at the members of the Straw Hat Grand Fleet below.
Aside from the familiar Double-Bar Pirates, all of the former Supernovas were present—without a single absence.
Even closer to the main table were the Moonlight Pirates and the Kuja Pirates, whose loyalty was unquestionable despite having missed the great battle.
Looking at these two commanders who had already settled in the Pokémon Sea for some time, Red spoke on behalf of the Straw Hat Pirates:
"So, Moria, Hancock—have you been getting used to life here?"
"Of course! Kishishishishi~"
Moria replied immediately, letting out his signature laugh.
After integrating into the Straw Hat Grand Fleet family, he had completely let go of his pride and fully embraced his role as a subordinate of the Straw Hats.
And the benefits that came with it were…
Every zombie on his island—including the Tailed Beasts and even those tied to Blackbeard—received invitations to the Vinsmoke Family's modification program.
This was no ordinary enhancement.
Although Red never revealed the truth about becoming Pokémon to Kaido and the others before the Whitebeard Pirates and the Beasts Pirates left the Pokémon Sea—
After several days of contact, they successfully exchanged Chopper's specially modified Rumble Balls and Super Potions for Queen's biological modification technology.
With joint verification from Franky and the Vinsmoke Family, they confirmed that while this technology might not surpass Queen's personal enhancements, it was unquestionably world-class.
With this, Moria's shadow zombies could be completely overhauled.
Creating a few terrifying war machines would be no problem at all.
This time, the Tailed Beasts would finally possess their own genuine Tailed Beast Balls.
The Kuja Pirates received equally generous treatment.
Since there were no spare islands left to allocate, Red directly arranged for them to reside within Cake Island.
His intention wasn't to admire beautiful women or indulge his eyes.
It was to allow the Kuja Pirates to grind levels using the Pokémon on Cake Island.
Though the leveling speed there was unstable, in less than a month, the Kuja Pirates' overall strength still improved noticeably.
Most importantly…
Red granted Hancock special privileges—she could bring the Kuja Pirates or even the entire Kuja tribe to Cake Island for training whenever she wished.
In Hancock's eyes, this was practically a sign that Red wanted to unite with her in marriage.
But in reality…
Red had simply taken a liking to the Kuja tribe's extraordinary combat talent.
Not every race possessed the Kuja's remarkable affinity for Haki.
By using Cake Island to cultivate a powerful force of Kuja warriors, the Kuja tribe could then, in turn, protect the Pokémon Sea and safeguard the region.
"As long as you're comfortable, that's what matters."
Red smiled calmly, raising his glass as his gaze swept over Moria—whose eyes shone with hope—and Hancock, whose pupils glimmered with a rosy hue.
Whatever reasons had brought everyone together, at least for now, they were all united in striving for the strength of the Straw Hat Pirates…
And that was enough.
After draining his glass once more, Red said with a smile:
"By the way, the Marines might be taking action against you Seven Warlords soon."
"So stay in the Pokémon Sea for now. Let this storm pass."
"Huh?!"
Moria and Hancock froze in unison, their raised glasses halting midair.
The Marines… and the Seven Warlords?!
An absurd yet oddly reasonable thought flashed through their minds.
But soon, they pushed it aside and drank their wine in one gulp.
Why worry about that…
With the Straw Hat Pirates backing them, there was nothing to fear.
"Heh…"
Red chuckled softly, having taken in their expressions.
To maintain secrecy, aside from the Straw Hat Pirates themselves, no one knew that Red had already reached a deal with Aokiji.
Naturally, they had no idea that—
With Red's nod of approval, a plan that would once again send ripples across the world was quietly placed on the table in the Marine conference room.
…
…
When Sanji fought Aokiji, they deliberately kept their distance from the central battlefield to avoid being caught in the collision between the Five Elders and the Four Emperors.
As a result, the exchange between Aokiji and Red went unnoticed by anyone outside the Straw Hat Pirates.
In the end, with Zephyr and his students' support, Aokiji—now the Marines' last remaining top-tier combatant—formally assumed office as the new Fleet Admiral.
The first thing he did upon taking office was restart former Fleet Admiral Akainu's World Military Draft.
Under the banner of "fulfilling Akainu's long-cherished wish and strengthening the Marines!"
Meanwhile, in Mary Geoise—
Due to Saint Saturn's bizarre death and Lord Imu's increasingly abnormal behavior, the remaining four Five Elders had little energy to focus on anything beyond Imu himself.
Fully aware of the Marines' dire situation, the Five Elders approved Aokiji's funding request with almost no hesitation.
And thus, with massive financial support, Aokiji lived up to expectations…
By absorbing a large number of Revolutionary Army fighters into the Marines.
Soon after, a purification operation proposed by the newly appointed Marine Admiral Issho was put on the agenda with broad support from Marine leadership.
The name of this plan was—
The Abolition of the Seven Warlords Plan!
That's right!
Though he had joined the Marines only recently, Issho's overwhelming strength and unwavering adherence to humane justice earned him a large following.
At present, aside from lacking formal World Government approval, Issho was already recognized within the Marines as a new Admiral.
"Well then…"
In the dimly lit conference room, as the presentation reached its final slide—
Fleet Admiral Aokiji shed his usual laziness, his sharp gaze sweeping across everyone present.
He spoke slowly:
"Regarding the detailed execution of the Seven Warlords Abolition Plan—does anyone still have questions?"
(End of Chapter)